the dinner of the honored guests
have been made. Olivier the Page shows pretty Lorezza the minuets of
the ladies at court, and she dances in her simple country-fashion,
until Olivier seizes her and they dance and sing together.

Jean de Paris stepping in, sings an air in praise of God, beauty and
chivalry and when the Princess appears, he leads her to dinner, to the
unutterable horror of the Seneshal. Dinner, service, plate, silver,
all is splendid and all belongs to Jean de Paris, who sings a tender
minstrel's-song to the Princess; she sweetly answers him, and telling
him, that she has already chosen her knight, who is true, honest and of
her own rank, makes him stand on thorns for a while, lest he be too
late,--until he perceives that she only teazes in order to punish him
for his own comedy. Finally they are {148} enchanted with each other,
and when the people come up, the Prince, revealing his true name,
presents the Princess as his bride, bidding his suite render homage to
their mistress. The Seneshal humbly asks forgiveness, and all unite in
a chorus in praise of the beautiful pair.

JESSONDA.

Opera in three acts by LOUIS SPOHR.

Text by HENRY GEHE.

Spohr wrote this opera by way of inauguration to his charge as master
of the court-chapel at Cassel, and with it he added to the fame, which
he had long before established as master of the violin and first-rate
composer. His music is sublime, and sheds a wealth of glory on the
somewhat imperfect text.

The story introduces us to Goa on the coast of Malabar at the beginning
of the 16th century.

A Rajah has just died and is bewailed by his people, and Jessonda, his
widow, who was married to the old man against her will, is doomed to be
burnt with him, according to the country's laws. Nadori, a young
priest of the God Brahma is to announce her fate to the beautiful young
widow. But Nadori is not a Brahmin by his own choice; he is young and
passionate, and though it is forbidden to him to look at women, he at
once falls in love with Jessonda's sister Amazili, whom he meets when
on his sad errand. He promises to help her in saving her beloved
sister from a terrible death.

{149}

Jessonda meanwhile hopes vainly for the arrival of the Portuguese
General, Tristan d'Acunha, to whom she pledged her faith long ago, when
a cruel fate separated her from him. She knows that the Portuguese are
at this moment besieging Goa, which formerly belonged to